west bank. >> newsroom with fredericka whitfield. >> thanks. have a great day. the obama administration is citing national security to keep the case of a militant cleric out of the courts. al awlaki is believed to be hiding in yemen, they believe he's a significant operational figure. that's why he's on a cia military hit list to be killed or captured. al awlaki's father is suing the u.s. from going after him. the u.s. secretary of defense, director of national intelligence and director of the cia want that lawsuit dismissed. our pentagon correspondent chris lawrence is watching the developments from washington. what are these national security concerns these officials have. >> reporter: yeah, fredricka. you've got national security on one side. some groups contend you have basic rights of an american on

the other. here is what it boils down to. you mentioned why the government wants awlaki, they say he not only recruited the nigerian man who tried to blow himself on the airline that landed in detroit on christmas day he also exchanged e-mails with nadal hassan, the chaplain who opened fire and killed numerous people at ft. hood. al awlaki is not shy about saying he's planning and plotting attacks on the united states. they want him. they have targeted him. his father makes the point that he is a u.s. citizen and the u.s. government does not have a right to target its own citizens for assassination without any sort of trial or due process or conviction for that matter. several groups, including the aclu, filed a suit against the government trying to block this sort of action, get him taken off of this list. what the government is basically saying is, look, we can't do that because their lawsuit would

compel us to release certain classified information, intelligence and military information that could compromise our work overseas. basically say why in the world would the government ever tell someone who is a self-avowed terrorist how and where and why we go after terrorism around the world. that's the crux of the argument. now the government is saying because of the this secret, state secret privilege, they shouldn't have to go along with this suit. now, the government has never come out and said, yes, they are targeting him for assassination. but take a look at what this official said. can you sort of read between the lines. >> individuals shouldn't be able to hide behind their u.s. passport and u.s. citizenship. if they present a threat and challenge to us, we need to be sure we're able to address that threat. >> so again, these groups are saying it puts them in a very

unique and uncomfortable position in order to ask the government's permission in order to try to represent his interests. fredricka. >> chris, it's believed, u.s. officials believe he's in yemen. one, they believe he's hiding in yemen. is there a particular activity besides recruitment they believe he may be engaged from there? >> the group that's based there, al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, i was talking to a couple of senior defense officials just this week. as the yemen military started a major offensive against some of the militant groups there. he said this is a big deal. he said he does not believe that al qaeda there rises to the same threat level as al qaeda does on the border of afghanistan and pakistan. but he said they are very much a growing threat in what once was a group that maybe was only concerned with piracy and very

localized issues, they now see starting to join with al qaeda and starting to take more of a global approach. so he said it's not on the level of afghanistan-pakistan yet, but he said it is very, very much a growing concern among military officials. >> chris lawrence thanks from washington. we're going to talk more about this from the legal point of view, civil rights attorney in cleveland and in las vegas richard herman we'll see later in the hour to delve into other cases. we thought this was pertinent to get your point of view on this. avery, begin with you, how often is this state secret privilege actually used. >> used in numbers of very important high-profile cases, fredricka. this is especially significant because al awlaki is a very powerful cleric advocating jihad. what the. >> is arguing is that because of al awlaki is a citizen of the united states, you can't kill him without a hearing, a notice, a fifth amendment right under

our bill of rights. it's a fascinating case. but i think what's going to happen is that the federal court will never get to the issue of state secrets. why? simply because the suit brought by his father is going to be challenged as not having standing, meaning that he doesn't have the right to bring the lawsuit in the first place. >> okay. so richard, now i'm wondering, the obama administration says going forward with this case would mean the disclosure of highly sensitive information. they don't want that to happen. what court would make this decision whether, indeed, the government is making a good argument to have this father's case dismissed? >> a federal court, fred, that's the answer. the federal court is going to dismiss this case based on standing as avery just said. isn't it sort of a dangerous precedent? this guy is on a kill or capture list. his father is saying, look, let's stop at this time, get a

little due process here. just because allegations are made about his criminal activity, don't we need to vet it? don't we need to litigate it? aren't we entitled to discovery? can't the government be wrong? what happens if they are wrong and they kill this guy? i don't know the answers. this is the united states. it seems contrato our values and laws this a mere allegation can result in a, perhaps, kill list. a little scary. >> how long will this process last, how long before the federal court determines whether, indeed, the department of defense has a good argument here, national security has a good argument here? richard, you first. >> i think this is going to move very quickly, fred. i think 60 to 90 days it's going to be disposed of. >> avery? >> i totally agree with you. this is high priority, national security versus individual rights. courts got to move right now. >> in the meantime if it takes 30 to 60 days, that means in the

meantime the government can proceed with their pursuit of al awlaki if they find him in yemen or elsewhere? >> yeah. >> okay. all right. >> that may be another part of it. >> very good. we'll see you again, avery, richard, we'll talk about all things interesting on the docket including lindsay lohan back in jail, out of jail again? >> who? >> i know. an unfamiliar name. >> here we go again. never ending. >> let's school each other on it. >> she's the gift that keeps on giving. >> see you in a few. meantime, the sex scandal that has rocked an atlanta mega church and its well-known pastor is growing. a fourth lawsuit has been filed against bishop eddie long alleging he coerced young men into sex. long is expected to directly respond to the allegations or at least speak publicly tomorrow. cnn's martin savidge has the story and is joining us with the latest. is he likely to directly talk about this incident or is it

that he's going to be in the public, going to carry on a sermon, pretend it didn't happen? >> that's the big question. that's what everybody wants to know. what is bishop long going to say tomorrow. clearly all eyes on the pulpit, looking at what the bishop of the new baptist missionary church will have to say. in advance of this public meeting he'll speak out about allegations made on him rumors flied on the internet. i want to read to you from his spokesman. the rumor that bishop eddie long is stepping down -- and there was that rumor on the internet -- is absolutely false. he will continue to be the senior pastor of new birth missionary baptist church. then yesterday bishop long held, we are told, a conference call with other members of the leadership that are part of the new birth church, and he is quoted, according to one of our affiliates listening in on that

conversation, he says, we will arise through this situation and go forward. we are moving forward. so there is a sense that tomorrow he will come out and speak against the allegations that have been made. but no one really knows until tomorrow comes. we should point out yesterday we had the fourth lawsuit that came to the forefront from 22-year-old spencer la grant. he's in charlotte, north carolina. he's actually a member of what was a satellite parish, still is a satellite parish of new birth out there. the allegations are very similar. he says that after the age of 17, there was a relationship that began first on the telephone but then developed into a personal sexual relationship between bishop long and himself. he went on several international trips. he was given a car. he was given tuition for college. he was given money. he was exposed to the remarkable life bishop long has when he meets with political leaders and also with celebrity. and all of that, the civil suit maintains, is part of the coercion to get him into a

sexual relationship. >> it's not just eddie long. there are other church members whose names are mentioned alleging they were complicity by having the knowledge inappropriate relations may have been taking place or possibly even helping to facilitate. >> this is important to point out. of course, the attorney that's driving all this represents the young men who are now the plaintiffs in this particular case. and they have named these top church officials. and part of this is, of course, to say it isn't just bishop long here. we are talking about other people. as a result of that the pressure is placed on the overall management of the church that they have got to be aware that they, too, could be held accountable. not for the sexual relationship aspect but because, as you point out, they may have facilitated for this to happen. >> right now this is civil suit. >> right. >> one has to wonder how this shapes up, might this lead to a criminal offense? >> some people wonder.

they say, why is this not a criminal investigation at this point? the reason is, as of now, as we understand, in the cases of all these young men, they were above the age of 16, which is the legal age of consent here in the state of georgia. so that is why a criminal investigation has not been held. there are some questions as to whether federal laws were violated. supposedly federal investigators are looking into that. they won't comment on the investigation. because it is a civil case, if it gets to a courtroom, the threshold, the legal bar is a little bit lower. it isn't the same as in a criminal case where you must prove beyond a shadow of a doubt. in this particular case you argue there is a reasonable cause to settle for the. >> president in the end there would be settlement. that's part of the motivation, cash settlement. >> money. >> thank you. we'll see you throughout the day. we know tomorrow you'll be there at new birth as pastor long

takes to the pulpit for the first time in many days. thanks very much. many politicians are looking toward the midterm elections. others already thinking 2012. ♪

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aren't we all collectively really glad its fall. i love summer, reynolds, but it's been a little toasty. now it's nice to have a little crisp in the air. >> why is it in parts of the country you can't flip a switch and fall starts instantly. that's the case of the southeast for viewers around the country who don't live in atlanta, it's been brutal here. really has. we'll see things become more comfortable not because of the rain but what's behind this stuff, the frontal boundary. first and foremost rain in decatur, south, even to alabama expect showers. follow this train all the way into parts of texas, dallas southward to austin. partly cloudy skies in austin. rain on the way. i expect that to be very close to the stadium before the day is

out. what we can also expect farther to the north rain in mason city, kansas city pretty good for now. rain forming out to the west before the day is over. st. louis some scattered showers and storms, too. the reason why we're seeing rain in the midwest, rain popping up here across the corn belt, southeast into texas due to this frontal boundary. right behind there cool air will move in on sunday. you'll feel changes in southeast and eastern seaboard. today in atlanta, still 90, 93 in raleigh, 61 chicago, 59 in minneapolis, 86 in salt lake city and 81 in san francisco. we're also keeping a sharp eye on the tropics. good news and bad news. bad news, things are active out there. good news, there's nothing threatening in terms of the hurricane. take a look, this hurricane is moving north, going into cooler water where it should begin to die out in coming days. as we wrap up, keeping an eye on this one. this one not quite as lucky. not affecting u.s. but friends

in central america, guatemala, belize, keep your fingers crossed things go well. rain, maybe mudslides, could be a rough time in that part of the world. we'll keep our fingers crossed for them. that's the latest, fredricka, we'll send it back to you. >> that's a lot. thanks a lot, reynolds. appreciate it. the world's only ecosuperman, captain planet separating its 20th anniversary, cnn founder ted turner who helped create the cartoon said fans of the show learn something they don't in other cartoons, how to become good environmental stewards. >> we're teaching lessons with every episode. >> turner talks to cnn's bonnie schneider about the importance of the captain planet show and how it help educate kids on current environmental challenges will that's coming up at 2:00 eastern time. wisconsin prosecutor sent sexually charged text messages

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welcome back. a look at our top stories. the obama administration citing national security to keep the case against a militant cleric out of the courts. anwar al awlaki has been linked to al qaeda terrorists and he's on a cia hit list to be captured or killed according to officials. al awlaki's father is suing to prevent the u.s. from going after him. government officials want that lawsuit dismissed saying it requires the u.s. to disclose highly classified information. police in new jersey are

looking for a gunman who wounded five people at an off campus party. students electric setan hall university were at the party. there's no word whether the victims or suspects are students. american astronaut tracy dyson and two cosmonauts back on earth. they spent six months on the space station. their spacecraft arrived in kazakhstan. their return was delayed by a day because of a docking glitch. florida's ban on gay adoptions overturned. now what? one of the stories on the docket with our legal guys. avery, civil rights lawyer. and we have a new york attorney and law professor. hopefully they are with us. a ha, there they are. good to see you guys. >> we missed you. >> been a while. >> it has been a while.

so we know this 30-year-old ban in florida has been overturned because it violates the state's constitution. so avery, i wonder now, does this mean this takes affect immediately? immediately gay couples can now adopt? >> well, governor charlie crist is saying immediately. this is only an appeals court decision, fredricka. what the governor has decided this 30-year-old legislative action banning gay couples from adopting as far as the governor is concerned is over. and it means that young families that are gay may adopt. so the remaining question is, if that's true, does the case seek review in the florida supreme court. that's an answer we don't know. >> richard, how do you see it? >> i see it this way, fred. in any case where children are involved, the primary issue is what is in the best interest of the child. and the florida statute that banned gay adoptions, the court

held had no rational basis. so now florida was the only state of the 50 states in the united states that had this on the books still. so welcome to a reality check, florida. they can appeal all they want. >> welcome to the 21st century. >> it's going to be how it is from now on in florida. >> charlie crist saw it this way. he was very much in favor of it being overturned. this is what the governor had to say. >> it's a very good day for florida. it's a great day for children. children deserve a loving home to be in. and the opportunity for judges to make this call on a case-by-case basis with every adoption i think is wonderful. >> all right. so he concurs with what you both have had to say and the outcome of this. >> especially in an election year he concurs with us, right. >> let's move on. >> it's an important decision. >> a very significant one. let's move on to what is taking

place in pennsylvania a young girl paeapparently has on her c phone nude pictures of yourself. why would you want to do this? she didn't necessarily transport it. that's not what got her in trouble. there's a no texting policy in her school. school got ahold of the camera and said, wait a minute, there's nude pictures. they then suspended her richard. she was able to turn around and win a settlement. what happened here. >> there's a no cell phone policy in the school. apparently she was at school. her phone went off. she went to answer it. a teacher saw that. he grabbed the phone, gave the phone to the principal or administration. then what happened was the principal or administration decided to go into her phone and take a look at her photos. who else knows what they looked at. apparently on her phone she had a few pictures she had previously sent to her boyfriend. in any event, she brought a lawsuit against not only the

school, and the school settled for an improper search and seizure. they didn't want a judicial determination on this one so they settled this case. but she's still suing the district attorney's office and that will be an interesting outcome. >> on what grounds? >> yeah. that's going nowhere. >> same argument? >> illegal search and seizure, yes. >> let's move onto wisconsin and this district attorney acting inappropriately, speaking of texting and use of technology and conveying information. he allegedly, ken kratz is offering a sincere apology for sending inappropriate text messages for a woman who was the victim of a crime in the middle of this case being prosecuted. so richard, he has been asked to resign, step down. he says no. his apology is enough. where does this case go from here? >> it's unbelievable, fred.

this guy gets caught with a few texts to this woman. she discloses to everyone. they don't fire him, keeps him on the job. >> she went to the police. >> they produced it and said, you're insane. these are horrible texts, what are you doing, but they don't fire him. then what happens is a tidal wave of texts show up. now the guy is gone, he's not in practice right now of the state bar association is looking at him for grievance charges. this guy obviously needed a vacation. he's out of control. this is absolutely outrageous. >> and he's going to get one. fredricka. >> yeah. >> what's going to happen is monday morning at 11:00 there's a removal hearing. this guy is the prize. the booby prize. he's got to go. the bar association, as richard said harks got to get into the picture. he's gone. >> gentlemen, speaking of being out of control, this kentucky

man is blaming caffeine for his alleged actions, everything from drinking zo much soda, having too much red bull type of caffeinated drinks and not getting enough sleep and he said that's the reason why he stabbed his wife. he doesn't remember exactly what happened. what's happening to him now? richard? >> he woke up in the morning. there was an electrical cord around his wife's throat and he just didn't remember how that happened. then all of a sudden we come up with this defense, caffeine defense, which is very creative. anything that it alter someone's state of mind at the time a crime is allegedly committed, that gives a mitigation to the charges and does away with a murder conviction. it's sort of like a temporary insanity. but those cases win like less than 3% of the time, fred. it's a creative shot. it ain't going to fly in this case. >> i misspoke, i said stab.

he allegedly tried to strangle his wife. all right, gentlemen. we're out of time on this one. avery, richard, we'll have you back and talk about lindsay lohan and what's going on with her. paris hilton, what's happening to her, too. she can't travel to japan anymore. what happened there? >> what are they going to do in japan? how are they going to survive. >> she had a public appearance, but not anymore. i don't know if the folks are going to be able to live without her. we'll talk about all that coming up. avery, richard, thanks so much. appreciate that. we'll be right back after this. what's this option? that's new.

personal pricing now on brakes. tell us what you want to pay. we do our best to make that work. deal! my money. my choice. my meineke. i'm absolutely thrilled. all i ever wanted to do was go back to my unit and do my job. just for that chance, i'm really excited. >> that's air force veteran major margaret witt found herself discharged unit don't ask, don't tell, found it unconstitutional. the supreme court asked to reinstate her to duty. they have unsuccessfully blocked a bill that would allow the repeal of don't ask don't tell. the legislative stand overis watched by current and former

members of the u.s. military who were never asked and never revealed their sexual orientation for the sake of their career. >> my name is dan zabrowski. i joined in '85. i was in the air force for 20 years and retired in 2006. what was different about me being in the air force was being gay and having a partner. >> it's kind of running there. you've got to make sure you don't get too much on your brush. >> okay. >> my name is mark byrd. i'm originally from ellisville, mississippi. we've been together 19 years. every time dan has had orders for a permanent change of station, pcs, i've gone with him. i was happy to do so, because, you know, i love him, and that's what a spouse or partner would do. when dan had functions at work, i would not attend.

>> if it was a gathering of friends, that would be easier than going to an air force function. if it was an air force function, i would leave him at home. >> if we were to slip up and someone would have found out we were gay, that would have cost dan his career. >> i retired from the air force and mark was there. >> before the ceremony, we went into a room and sat down with his colonel. >> i had asked my colonel if i could recognize mark the way they recognize other spouses. >> you could see the colonel, he got very uncomfortable. he's like oh, we can't do that. >> so i wasn't able to give mark a certificate. but during my speech i was able to present mark with a shadowbox that represented the years we were together while i was in the air force. i recognized him as my bess friend who had been behind me most of the time. the don't ask, don't tell bill had passed, the 21 i served will

not have been in vein. something good will have come out of the fact that maybe i had to conceal who i was, but in the future men and women will be able to serve openly and not conceal who they are. it would have been really great to have had seen this past. >> all right. hooked on drugs and alcohol, we're tracking the latest developments on paris hilton and lindsay lohan with our legal guys coming up next.

a look at our top stories right now. the fbi isn't saying what it was looking for when agents certainlied homes in an office in minneapolis and chicago. the agency says the raids were part of a terrorism

investigation. political and anti-war activists say they were the target and they called the raids harassment. no arrests were made. but activists say they were served subpoenas to appear before a grand jury. a party in los angeles turned violent. police say at least a dozen people were shot at a house in the city. early this morning one person is dead. no word on a possible motive. more legal trouble for prominent atlanta pastor eddie long. he now faces a fourth lawsuit. four young men complained long coerced them into sexual relationships. bishop long plans to speak about the allegations, perhaps. tomorrow we know he at least is scheduled to take to the pulpit during his sermons tomorrow morning. what a worldwind legal week it has been for hollywood starlet lindsay lohan. our legal guys are back. avery friedman, civil rights and law professor in cleveland and

richard, law professor and attorney. we see the bellagio behind you. richard, we know this is a favorite stomping ground, or one of them, of lindsay lohan and a lot of other stars. this time the problem is in hollywood for her. she goes to jail last night violating probation, but then she's back out. she posted bail. what's next for her? >> fred, my take on it is this, the judge who allowed her to get out of the rehab facility based on the false representations of the ucla medical center, i don't know how incompetent they are, let her out of the rehab center because he believed she didn't have dependency issues now was completely humiliated and embarrassed because she violated a drug and alcohol test. he had no authority to do that it was basically illegal what he

did. his lawyer tried to raise the issue. he wouldn't hear the lawyer speak. she ran and got an emergency appeal and let her out. these are misdemeanors. she's absolutely entitled to bail. the judge blew it. like yogi said, it's not over until it's over. in a couple weeks she'll be in court for probation violations which she'll get convicted of, 60 days in prison. >> if you had violated probation, why can't a judge -- she even admitted publicly, show tweeted about it apparently. if you've done that, why can't a judge say you've violated probation, there is no bail. i'm not saying i'm advocating that. that doesn't sound like an unusual thing for the judge to do. avery? >> i don't agree with richard. i think judge fox did the exact correct thing. not only do you have a number of violations of law for which she

put on probation she's already violated probation. then she's out basically boasting and tweeting to people, i'm sitting here at magnolia, which is a bar in west hollywood, knocking down jack and cokes. holy smokes, i'm horrified another superior court in california granted the habeas. i don't think it was appropriate. she should remain incarceration until october. i think the second judge put it. i think judge fox who put her in jail did it exactly right. if she weren't a celebrity she'd be in jail now. >> you do think she's getting preferential treatment. >> yesterday was not the probation violation. yesterday was a procedural hearing. the probation violation hearing is going to be in about three weeks. at that time they will present evidence of her violation. she's going to lose on that. she's going to get 30 days for each violation. but how california courts work she'll do a day and a half.

>> because of overcrowding. >> and they will let her out. >> what about rehab then in what about turning that kind of jail sentence into strictly rehab? can they be concurrent, jail sentence, rehab at the same time, avery? >> they have to be, fredricka. this young woman is sick. clearly she continues to violate the law. she continues to do inappropriate things in terms of her legal responsibilities. i mean, there's no question but that some combination of incarceration and rehabilitation is absolutely necessary, because if not she's going to wind up dead one day. there's no doubt about it. >> wow. let's talk about paris hilton. she did plead guilty to cocaine violation. apparently japan has a big old rule, if you have any kind of conviction or record on drug-related offenses, you cannot be granted entry into the

country, which was the case for her, richard. she goes to japan for a public appearance. they stopped her there and said, you can't go any further. they held her for six hours and held her for questioning and put her back on a plane, bye-bye. >> when you plead guilty to crimes you have to al cute. they take that. they call the district attorney's office. based on that, they have this public policy in japan not to allow people like this in their country. a lot of people in japan are saying this is a politically motivated thing. it's like the wink of an eye and they let people in all the time. i don't know how her fans are going to survive without her coming. >> you know, think of the organization -- think of the organization that backs up paris hilton. i mean, this is kind of a very well-known policy. what are these guys thinking. >> what kind of research done

before flying over there? >> none, none. they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars getting her to the far east and then she sits held by the authorities and they ship her back. look, what are these people doing? the fact is japan has employed any kind of drug violation, you're not allowed in. nothing inappropriate. you wonder what the organization is doing in planning these things. unbelievable. >> tokyo has a couple of great airports but that's a long way to go to check out duty-free and turn around and leave. >> exactly. avery, richard, good to see you all. have a good weekend. see you next time. >> take care. coming up, we'll talk politics, u.s. senate race in wisconsin heating up. when i was seventeen, i was not good to my skin.

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all right. politicking in new hampshire on stage today. a one-time republican presidential candidate who may be testing the waters again. our political producer peter hamby is watching from washington. good to see you. we're talking about mitt romney. what's he up to? is he sticking his toe in the water, putting his whole foot in, diving, what is he doing? >> i'd say his whole foot is in. it might be an understatement to say he's testing the waters. romney has to be considered the front-runner for the nomination if you look at poll numbers. he's in new hampshire. if you look at the early nominating calendar, if he does run for president, iowa, he lost there last time, he has problems there among social conservatives, south carolina he lost there last time, same problems. new hampshire is a place where

he owns property. he's known there, because he's run for president and has been the governor of massachusetts. this is his beachhead, has he to win here in 2012 if he's going to find a path to the nomination. he's there today. he gave a big speech talking to the activists volunteers, consultants, money men in new hampshire you need in your corner if you're going to win the nomination. >> does he feel like he has that support that there are many in his corner? >> yeah, sure. if you talk to people there and voters in new hampshire are renowned for wanting to touch the candidates, to meet them before they will cast their vote for you, he's run through the gauntlet in new hampshire before. so voters there, they do know him. the problem in new hampshire is they are very fickle. he was the front-runner for the entire nomination there last time and lost to john mccain. you've seen that in the past in presidential battles. being the front-runner not the best place to be in new

hampshire but he's a known commodity and voters like that. >> meantime, spend a little time in wisconsin, a pretty nasty or down to the wire u.s. senate race unfolding. give me the lowdown on it. russ fine gold against ron johnson. >> right. i was up there week. this is a race for independents in wisconsin in a notoriously independent state. ron johnson, millionaire, plastics manufacturer up six points among likely voters against feingold, three-term center. he's trying to race with the middle saying i've broken with my party before. obama was out there recently and feingold dung appear with him. he's trying to tie him to the volatile political climate. >> peter hamby, thanks very much. good to see you. >> thanks, fredricka. she brought a new meaning to the world "exhale." now she writes about "getting to happy." she shares some of her own life lessons.

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they are back, savannah, bernadine, gloria and robin, characters we first met almost two decades ago as they were waiting to exhale. the author brought them back together in a new book and soon to be sequel movie. their mission, "getting to happy." i talked to the author about whether this story parallel her own life. people have been waiting anxiously to know if there would ab sequel for "waiting to exhale." what happened in your life or these women's life that you felt like it was time to see what happened 15 years after.

>> well, it wasn't what happened to them. it was due to what happened to me. i had no intention of writing a sequel. after my divorce i was bitter and angry. i started meeting a lot of other women in my age group, mid-40s to late 50s, who were just sad. trying to explore what it might take for us to get back to happy, so to speak, i came up with four different scenarios a lot of women have to deal with. i realize i had already told the story with four female protagonists. i realized those women were the perfect candidates for this story. ♪ >> i'll be 21 on my next birthday. that makes me 22. and you are? >> forty. >> when people read, "stella got her groove back" then you shared that deception. it's interesting because you talk about you were in a place. you were upset.

your husband wasn't what you thought he was. why is it you made a decision i'm going to do a continuation of these women's lives as opposed to write specifically about what happened to me? >> even telling the story of stella, only about 95% of that did not happen, but i was compelled to tell the story. i knew to some extent that nothing is promised. when he decided to tell me what he thought he was. and i said, i know what thinking means. and then, of course, all the other ugly stuff started coming out. when you've been deceived, lied to, someone you trusted, i don't care who they are, when it happens, you don't care. you're just angry. >> at what point did you say, you know what, i'm tired of being mad. >> i was swearing a lot. i was grinding my teeth. and it was not who i was. and it just started dawning on me how much energy it takes to be angry. i have since for given my

ex-husband and we are actually friends now. i don't think you allow your past to destroy your present, even writing this book. you know what, hold up a minute here. i deserve to be happy. i deserve to have some joy in my life. this story, i wanted to try to dramatize what happens when you do and you don't rely on someone else for all of your happiness. >> it sounds as though you sprinkled your life, your experiences into all these women's lives in some capacity. >> i take observations and personalize them through my characters. it doesn't mean that it had to have happened to me. but when i write it through these characters, through their eyes and through their hearts it feels like it did. >> is this likely to be a movie? >> 20th century fox bought the movie rights before it was a book. and before you ask, three of the four women seem to be very interested in repricing their roles. we are praying and hoping whitney will, too. >> savannah, she's kind of the

first character you tackled. what's the breaking point for savannah, how does she gets to this point. >> she discovered something about his behavior that angered her, not anything as deep as finding our your husband is gay. she decides to take a risk on herself and going solo. she is not, nor have i, given up on love or men. >> gloria? >> gloria has experienced a different kind of loss. i don't want to say. she has to go through her own form of grief and just start to begin to heal her life. >> and bernadine. >> she has forgiven her first ex-husband for the way he treated her. they are actually friends in this story. bernadine had an experience that made her bitter. she has to learn a lot of things in terms of for giving herself and for giving other people. >> robin. >> robin tried to be a good single parent. her attitude is that you should look for a m